Exporting Seafood from Vietnam to South Korea: Registration, Shrimp Quota and Labels

South Korea bought USD 652 million of Vietnamese seafood in the first nine months of 2026, up 6.1% year on year. It is also the largest market for Vietnamese squid and octopus: in the first four months of 2026, Korea took USD 87 million, or 37% of everything Vietnam exported in that category.

Korean importers buy steadily, but the system they work within is strict. A shipment that misses a registration step is rejected before inspection even begins. This guide covers the points an importer should check with a Vietnamese supplier.

1. The plant must be registered with MFDS

Under the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management, the overseas plant's name, address and product type must be registered with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) before an import declaration is filed. MFDS states that a declaration without it will be rejected.

Registration is valid for two years and must be renewed at least seven days before it expires. Either the importer or the plant can file. Since 2023, higher-risk foods also need a HACCP, GMP or ISO 22000 certificate at registration.

Before the first order, ask the supplier for the plant's MFDS registration number and its expiry date.

2. How shipments are inspected

MFDS uses four inspection types: document review, sensory check, laboratory test and random sampling. The first import of a product is laboratory tested, and the OPERA risk system decides the type for later shipments.

Frozen and chilled shrimp have needed a health certificate from the exporting country since April 2018. In June 2025, MFDS placed an inspection order on shrimp products from three Vietnamese plants after repeated doxycycline findings. For buyers, pre-shipment residue testing is a practical way to avoid delays at the port.

3. Labels in Korean

All labels must be legible and in Korean. A sticker label is accepted if it is hard to remove and does not cover the original label. Required items include:

• Product name and ingredients
• Importer's name and address
• Foreign manufacturer
• Date marks and cautions
• Country of origin

Whole frozen fish sold without a container is exempt from some of these requirements.

4. The VKFTA shrimp quota

Under the Vietnam–Korea FTA, frozen shrimp enters at 0% within an annual quota of 15,000 tonnes. Shrimp above the quota pays 20%. Quota rights are auctioned, and VASEP reports that auction costs have risen to around 14–16% of import value, which takes away most of the benefit.

This is one reason Vietnamese shrimp exports to Korea have held at around USD 334 million a year since 2024, after USD 468 million in 2022. For buyers, the landed cost of shrimp depends as much on quota strategy as on the FOB price.

5. Squid, cuttlefish and octopus

Cephalopods are where Vietnam is strongest in Korea. Korean buyers usually specify:

• Species, and whether the product is whole cleaned, tube or flower cut
• Size grade per kg or length per piece
• IQF or block, and the glaze level
• Inner pack and carton weight

TBESFOOD supplies baby octopus (Octopus dollfusi and Octopus ocellatus) in IQF 1 kg × 10 per carton, block 500 g × 12 per carton and flower shape, graded 10/20 to 60 up. Whole cleaned cuttlefish is available IQF or block, 10 kg per carton.

Working with TBESFOOD

TBESFOOD COMPANY LIMITED, a member of TBES Group, has exported seafood from Vietnam since 2016 and ships to 30 countries. To review specifications and documents for the Korean market, contact our export team at export@tbesfood.com.

Sources

• Seafood exports to Korea, 9M/2026: Báo Thanh tra, citing VASEP, 14 October 2026 https://thanhtra.com.vn/
• Squid and octopus exports to Korea, 4M/2026: CafeF, citing VASEP https://cafef.vn/
• Foreign facility registration and inspection: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety https://www.mfds.go.kr/eng/wpge/m_11/de011002l001.do
• Korea import requirements and labelling: USDA FAS, FAIRS Country Report KS2026-0007
• VKFTA shrimp quota: VASEP letter 237/CV-VASEP, 18 December 2025 https://vasep.com.vn/